Tour hangover now a distant memory for Youngs

The British

& Irish Lions

Tour to New Zealand 2017

Tour hangover now a distant memory for Youngs

Ben Youngs started the second test of the Lions successful tour down under

Inpho

It may have been a tricky start to the season in comparison to the highs of the British & Irish Lions summer success but scrum-half Ben Youngs insists he's back and raring to get back to his best.

It proved to be a great tour for Youngs, who started the second Test against the Quantas Wallabies, as the tourists recorded a famous victory down under.

But while enjoying the celebrations with his fellow teammates, the 24-year-old was forced into an extended break from the game with a shoulder injury.

He only made his first start of the season for Leicester towards the end of September before a hip injury hindered his chances of really making an impact for England in the autumn internationals, with appearances off the bench against Australia and New Zealand.

But with impressive performances in the last two weeks for the Tigers, a refocused Youngs revealed he is back in the groove.

"When I came back from the tour I had a bad shoulder and I didn't play for the first four weeks," he says. "But then when I did get back I found it really hard to get back into it. I think it was the hangover from the tour.

"I didn't want to feel like that. I wanted to be like, 'Right, what have I learnt? What can I do better?'

"But I struggled to get the bit between the teeth, I guess.

"I feel great again now. I was really happy with my performance there. I am really enjoying my rugby again.

"The first three or four games of the season I went through the motions, but it's nice to know now that I am back in a good place."